Activity-based intelligent transparency

Abstract

Methods performed by a head-wearable audio output device are provided. The audio output device is worn on a head of a user and includes at least one sensor. The device uses the at least one sensor to detect a user activity based on motion of a body of the user. The device uses the at least one sensor to detect that an orientation of the head of the user is one of up or down. The device controls at least one of a level of attenuation applied to external noise or an audio output based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the head of the user.

Description

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 931,659, filed May 14, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference as if fully set forth below. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to controlling a head-wearable audio output device based at least in part on both a detected user activity and a detected head orientation of a user wearing the device. BACKGROUND

[0004] People wear earphones when they switch between various activities. Often, people make adjustments with respect to audio output when they move between activities. Active noise reduction (ANR) (sometimes referred to as active noise cancellation (ANC) or controllable noise cancellation (CNC)) attenuates different amounts of sound outside of the earphone. ANR is one feature that provides a more immersive listening experience. Users can desire different levels of immersion based on their activities and / or locations. For example, there can be specific situations where a user wearing an earphone with ANR turned on can want or need specific external sounds for increased situational awareness. On the other hand, there can be situations where a user can want to set the ANR to a high level to attenuate the most external sounds. ANR audio output devices allow users to manually turn on or off ANR, or even set the ANR level. However, adjusting audio output and / or ANR is done by switching through various interfaces on the earphone and / or a personal user device in communication with the earphone. This requires effort and can be cumbersome for the user. There is a need for improvements in how audio output devices adjust the ANR and other features of a wearable audio output device. SUMMARY

[0005] All examples and features mentioned herein can be combined in any technically possible manner.

[0006] Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, and computer- readable media having instructions stored in memory that, when executed, cause a head- wearable audio output device to automatically control audio output of the device based on both a detected user activity and a detected head orientation of a user wearing the device.

[0007] Aspects of the disclosure provide a method performed by a head-wearable audio output device that includes at least one sensor worn on a head of a user for controlling reproduction of ambient noise or an audio output, the method comprising: detecting, using the at least one sensor, a user activity based on motion of a body of the user; detecting, using the at least one sensor, an orientation of the head of the user is one of upward or downward; and controlling at least one of: a level of attenuation applied to the ambient noise or the audio output based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the head of the user.

[0008] In aspects, detecting the user activity includes detecting a change from a first detected activity in a set of activities to a second detected activity in the set of activities, where the set of activities includes any combination of: walking, running, sitting, standing, or moving in a mode of transportation.

[0009] In aspects, the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer. Detecting the user activity includes one of: detecting the user activity based on an energy level of a signal detected by the accelerometer, or detecting the user activity based on a classifier model trained using training data of known accelerometer signals associated with each activity in the set of activities.

[0010] In aspects, detecting the change includes determining when the user changes from sitting to walking, and the controlling includes reducing the level of attenuation to enable the user to hear more of the ambient noise. In aspects, the method further includes determining that the user changes from walking back to sitting, and increasing the level of attenuation to increase an amount of the ambient noise attenuation. In aspects, increasing the level of attenuation is based on input from the user.

[0011] In aspects, the user activity includes one of walking or running, the orientation of the head includes the downward orientation, and the controlling includes reducing the level of attenuation applied to the reproduction of the ambient noise or adjusting the audio output by reducing a volume of the audio output.

[0012] In aspects, the method further includes determining an audio mode, where each audio mode in a set of audio modes invokes a set of behaviors of the wearable audio output device, where the controlling is further based on the determined audio mode.

[0013] In aspects, the wearable audio output device is configured to perform active noise reduction (ANR).

[0014] Certain aspects provide a head-wearable audio output device for controlling reproduction of external noise or audio output, comprising: at least one sensor located on the wearable audio output device; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one sensor, the at least one processor configured to: use the at least one sensor to detect user activity based on motion of a body of a user when the wearable audio output device is worn on the user’s head; use the at least one sensor to detect an orientation of the head of the user is one of upward or downward; and control at least one of a level of attenuation applied to the external noise or the audio output based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the head of the user.

[0015] In aspects, the at least one processor detects the user activity by detecting a change from a first detected activity in a set of activities to a second detected activity in the set of activities, where the set of activities includes any combination of: walking, running, sitting, standing, or moving in a mode of transportation.

[0016] In aspects, detecting the change includes determining that the user changed from sitting to walking, and the at least one processor controls by reducing the level of attenuation to enable the user to hear more of the external noise.

[0017] In aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the user changed from walking back to sitting, and to increase the level of attenuation to attenuate an increased amount of the external noise.

[0018] In aspects, the at least one processor increases the level of attenuation based on input from the user.

[0019] In aspects, the user activity includes one of walking or running, the orientation of the head includes the downward orientation, and the at least one processor controls by adjusting the audio output by reducing the level of attenuation applied to reproduction of the external noise or by reducing a volume of the audio output.

[0020] In aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to determine an audio mode, where each audio mode in a set of audio modes invokes a set of behaviors of the head-wearable audio output device, where the at least one processor controls based on the determined audio mode.

[0021] Certain aspects provide a head-wearable audio output device worn by a user for controlling reproduction of external noise or audio output, comprising: an accelerometer; at least one acoustic transducer for outputting audio; and at least one processor configured to: detect, using the accelerometer, a user activity based on motion of a body of the user when the head-wearable audio output device is worn on the head of the user; detect, using the accelerometer, an orientation of the head of the user is one of upward or downward; and control, based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the head of the user, at least one of: a level of attenuation applied to the external noise or the audio output.

[0022] In aspects, the head-wearable audio output device includes a noise masking circuit for generating masking sound, and the at least one processor is configured to adjust the audio output by adjusting one of a content or a volume of noise masking based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the head of the user.

[0023] In aspects, the at least one processor detects the user activity by detecting a change from a first detected activity in a set of activities to a second detected activity in the set of activities. The set of activities includes any combination of: walking, running, sitting, standing, or moving in a mode of transportation, detecting the change includes determining that the user changed from sitting to walking, and the at least one processor controls by reducing the level of attenuation to enable the user to hear more of the external noise.

[0024] In aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to determine an audio mode, where each audio mode in a set of audio modes invokes a set of behaviors of the head-wearable audio output device, where the at least one processor controls based on the determined audio mode.

[0025] Two or more features described in this disclosure, including those described in the SUMMARY, can be combined to form particular implementations not specifically described herein. The details of one or more implementations are discussed in the DETAILED DESCRIPTION. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 An example system in which aspects of the disclosure can be practiced is illustrated.

[0027] Figure 2 Example operations performed by a head-wearable audio output device worn by a user for controlling external noise are illustrated in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Modern headphones have capabilities far beyond simply allowing a user to listen to a stream of audio. As described above, through ANR, ANC, and / or CNC, headphones block external noise from being heard by a user. Some headphones wirelessly communicate with a personal user device, such as a cellular phone, a smart wearable device, a tablet, and a computer. Headphone streaming audio from a connected personal user device provides audio notifications associated with programs or applications running on the personal user device, and enables a user to answer a phone call and participate in a conference call via a connection with the personal user device.

[0029] In an example scenario, a user wearing a head-worn audio output device desires to block a certain amount of external noise. The noise cancellation feature on the device can be set high to attenuate external noise, for example, to help the user focus on a task. When the user desires increased situational awareness, the user removes the headphones. In one example, the user removes the headphones when the user stands up and begins to walk. In another example, the user removes the headphones when the user looks up and begins to speak to a colleague.

[0030] Instead of removing the headphones or manually adjusting the audio output by interacting with the headphones or an application running on a personal user device, aspects provide methods for intelligently controlling audio output based on information collected using at least one sensor mounted on a head-worn audio output device. In aspects, the at least one sensor is an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, or an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that includes a combination of an accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a gyroscope.

[0031] The head-worn audio output devices described herein intelligently adjust the audio output and functionality of the device based on activities performed by the user. In certain aspects, a user can desire to continuously adjust the audio output in real-time based on the user's activities. In certain aspects, a user can desire to adjust the audio output based on both the user's activities and the orientation (e.g., position) of the user's head.

[0032] Based on detected user activities and / or orientation of the user's head, aspects of the present disclosure provide methods for intelligent (automatic), activity-based control of audio output by a head-worn audio output device. As used herein, control of audio output refers to control of reproduction of external noise, control of audio output, or a combination of control of reproduction of external noise and control of audio output. In some examples, control of reproduction of external noise is by adjusting an attenuation level to enable a user to hear more or less external noise. A head-worn wearable audio output device capable of ANR, ANC, and / or CNC is configured to adjust the attenuation level, thereby allowing a user to hear different amounts of external noise while wearing the device. In some examples, control of audio output refers to adjusting the volume of audio output played by the device, changing characteristics of an audio stream, or changing the type of audio output by the device.

[0033] Figure 1 An example system 100 in which aspects of the disclosure can be practiced is shown.

[0034] As shown, the system 100 includes a head-wearable audio output device (a pair of earphones) 110 communicatively coupled with a personal user device 120. In one aspect, the earphones 110 can include one or more microphones 112 to detect sounds in the vicinity of the earphones 110 and thus the user. The earphones 110 also include at least one acoustic transducer (not shown, also referred to as a driver or speaker) for outputting sound. The acoustic transducer can be configured to transmit audio through air and / or through bone (e.g., via bone conduction, such as through the skull bone).

[0035] The earphones 110 include at least one sensor for detecting one or more of head movement, body movement, and head orientation of a user wearing the earphones 110. In one example, the at least one sensor is located on a headband portion 114 that connects earcups 116. In one aspect, the at least one sensor is an accelerometer or an IMU. Based on information collected using the at least one sensor, the earphones or a device in communication with the earphones determine an activity of the user. Non-limiting examples of user activities include the user sitting, standing, walking, running, or moving in a mode of transportation. Additionally, based on information collected using the at least one sensor, the earphones or a device in communication with the earphones determine an orientation of the head (head position) of the user wearing the earphones. Non-limiting examples of head orientations include the user’s head being oriented in an upward direction or a downward direction.

[0036] In aspects, the earphones 110 include hardware and circuitry including a processor / processing system and memory configured to implement one or more sound management capabilities or other capabilities, including but not limited to noise cancellation circuitry (not shown) and / or noise masking circuitry (not shown), geolocation circuitry, and other sound processing circuitry. The noise cancellation circuitry is configured to reduce unwanted ambient sounds outside of the earphones 110 by using active noise cancellation. The noise masking circuitry is configured to reduce disturbances by playing masking sounds via a speaker of the earphones 110. The geolocation circuitry can be configured to detect a physical location of a user wearing the earphones. For example, the geolocation circuitry includes a global positioning system (GPS) antenna and related circuitry for determining GPS coordinates of the user.

[0037] In one aspect, the earphone 110 is wirelessly connected to the personal user device 120 using one or more wireless communication methods including, but not limited to, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), other radio frequency (RF) based technologies, and the like. In one aspect, the earphone 110 includes a transceiver that transmits and receives information via one or more antennas to exchange information with the user device 120.

[0038] In aspects, the earphone 110 can be connected to the personal user device 120 using a wired connection, with or without a corresponding wireless connection. As shown, the user device 120 can be connected to a network 130 (e.g., the Internet) and can access one or more services through the network 130. As shown, these services can include one or more cloud services 140.

[0039] The personal user device 120 represents any computing device, including cellular phones, smart wearable devices, tablets, and computers. In one aspect, the personal user device 120 accesses a cloud server in the cloud 140 through the network 130 using a mobile web browser or a native software application or “app” running on the personal user device 120. In one aspect, the software application or “app” is a native application installed and running locally on the personal user device 120. In one aspect, the accessible cloud server on the cloud 140 includes one or more cloud applications running on the cloud server. The cloud application is accessible and run by the personal user device 120. For example, the cloud application can generate a web page that is rendered by a mobile web browser on the personal user device 120. In one aspect, the mobile software application installed on the personal user device 120 and the cloud application installed on the cloud server can be used individually or in combination to implement techniques for determining user activity and determining head orientation of a user wearing the earphone 110, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 1 The over-ear earphone 110 is shown for illustrative purposes controlling reproduction of external noise or audio output. Any over-ear wearable audio output device with similar acoustic capabilities can be used to control reproduction of external noise or audio output. As an example, the earphone 110 can be used interchangeably with an ear-hanging earbud having a hook portion that wraps around the ear, including an acoustic driver module positioned above the user’s ear and a back portion that curves around the user’s ear. In another example, the earphone 110 can be used interchangeably with an audio eyewear “frame.” Both the ear-hanging earbud and the frame have at least one sensor for determining user activity and head orientation, as described with reference to the earphone 110.

[0041] Figure 2Example operations 200 performed by a head-wearable audio output device (e.g., headphones 110 as shown in FIG. 1) worn by a user to control reproduction of external noise or audio output are shown in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure. The head-wearable audio output device includes at least one sensor to detect user activity and head orientation of a user wearing the device. Figure 1

[0042] At 202, the audio output device uses the at least one sensor to detect user activity based on motion of the user's body. Examples of user activity include sitting, standing, walking, running, moving in a mode of transportation (e.g., car, train, bus, airplane), walking or otherwise moving up stairs, walking or otherwise moving down stairs, and performing repetitive exercises such as pushups, pullups, situps, lunge squats, and deep squats.

[0043] As the sensors continuously collect information to determine user activity, in aspects, the audio output device detects a change from a first activity to a second activity. In one example, an accelerometer or an IMU (including an accelerometer) determines acceleration of the user based on a detected energy level of the accelerometer signal. In aspects, the energy level of the signal is detected in one or more of the x, y, and z directions. The detected acceleration is used to determine the activity of the user or a change from a first activity to a second activity. In aspects, the output from multiple sensors are combined to determine user activity with increased accuracy. In another example, a classifier model is trained using training data of known accelerometer signal energy associated with each activity. Signals collected using the at least one sensor on-board the device are input into the trained classifier model to determine the activity of the user or a change from a first activity to a second activity. The algorithm to determine user activity is executed on the audio output device, an app executed on a personal user device in communication with the audio output device, or a combination of the audio output device and the app. In aspects, the personal user device transmits the processed data or the determined user activity to the audio output device.

[0044] ​At 204, the audio output device uses at least one sensor to detect that the orientation of the user's head is one of up or down. The user can orient their head in an up direction or a down direction. In one example, signals collected using an accelerometer on the head-worn audio output device are used to detect head orientation. The accelerometer determines the user's head orientation relative to gravity. In another example, a magnetometer of an IMU detects the user's head orientation relative to the cardinal directions of north and south. In aspects, a gyroscope of the IMU measures the motion of the user's head. In one example, the gyroscope measures rotational motion of the user's head or to determine that the user is shaking their head or nodding. In aspects, the output from multiple sensors are combined to determine the user's head orientation with increased accuracy. The algorithm to determine the user's head orientation is executed on the audio output device, an app executing on a personal user device in communication with the audio output device, or a combination of the audio output device and the app. In aspects, the personal user device transmits the processed data or determined head orientation to the audio output device.

[0045] When looking at a keyboard, their personal user device, or the ground, the user can orient their head down. When looking ahead or making eye contact with another person, the user can orient their head in an up direction. The down head orientation or the up head orientation can be different for each person. For example, a person can hold their phone at different angles. In aspects, an app running on the user's phone (or personal user device) allows the user to customize the angle of the down head orientation and the angle of the up head orientation. The user can move their head up and down and the app can learn the user's anatomy and head movements.

[0046] At 206, the audio output device controls at least one of the level of attenuation applied to external noise or the audio output based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the user's head. In one example, the audio output device transitions to a transparent mode based on the user activity and the orientation of the user's head. In the transparent (aware) mode, noise cancellation and / or noise masking features are reduced or turned off to increase situational awareness. When all noise cancellation and noise masking features are turned off, the audio output device operates in a full transparent mode such that the user hears external noise as if they are not wearing the device. The feed-forward filter and feed-forward coefficients on the device are adjusted to provide different levels of transparency. Examples of controlling the audio output include adjusting the volume of the audio output played by the device, changing the characteristics of the audio stream, or changing the type of audio output by the device.

[0047] In aspects, a user configures how the device controls the level of attenuation applied to external noise or the preference for audio output based on detected user activity and detected user head orientation. The user can input the preference via an app on their personal user device or directly on the audio output device. In one example, when sitting and orienting their head downward (e.g., to look at a computer screen or a table), a user is typically working or performing a task that requires concentration. The user prefers to listen to classical music at a certain volume while working. Accordingly, the user can input their preference via an app or directly on the audio output device. In another example, when walking with their head oriented downward, the user prefers to have full transparency. The user can assume that by, for example, positioning their head downward at their phone, the user can benefit from increased situational awareness. Accordingly, the user can program the device to enter a full transparency mode when walking and orienting their head downward.

[0048] In aspects, the methods described herein are combined with the customized audio experiences described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 788,974, filed February 12, 2020, entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING CUSTOMIZED AUDIO EXPERIENCES. As described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 788,974, each activity is defined by a set of configured behaviors. In aspects, the activities are further defined to be taken in order to control the level of attenuation and / or the type of audio adjustment to be applied based on the user’s activity and head orientation.

[0049] The following paragraphs provide examples of how behaviors are set based on activities in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Based on the selected audio mode, the determined user activity, and head orientation, the audio output device takes action to control the device. During a “exercise activity,” when the user is in one of walking, running, or performing repetitive movements and the user’s head is oriented downward, the user can configure the device to implement a moderate level of noise cancellation and / or output one type of music through a specific rhythm at a defined volume. During a “work activity,” when it is determined that the user is sitting and their head is oriented downward, the user can save a preference to enable full noise cancellation. During a “commute activity,” when it is determined that the user is walking and their head is oriented downward, the user can configure the device to implement an incremental amount of noise cancellation and stop all audio streaming. In the “commute activity,” when it is determined that the user is on a train and their head is oriented downward, the user can configure the device to increase the amount of noise cancellation and / or stream a podcast.

[0050] Referring back to Figure 2In an example use case, a user is sitting at work and wearing earphones 110 with noise cancellation activated. Using signals collected from at least one sensor on the earphones, it is determined that the user is sitting and their head is oriented downward. Based on a configured preference or audio mode, when the user stands up and moves their head in an upward direction, the earphones enter a transparent mode. The transparent mode can be a fully transparent mode or a mode in which noise cancellation and / or noise masking is reduced relative to when the user is sitting and their head is oriented downward. With increased situational awareness, the user can not have to remove their earphones when they speak to a colleague.

[0051] Next, the user begins walking towards the break room. The sensor data is processed to determine that the user is walking at the moment and their head is oriented slightly upward in the direction of travel. In response, the earphones can further reduce the level of noise cancellation and / or noise masking, or reduce the volume of any audio output streamed to the user. Because the user is walking, they can benefit from being aware of their surroundings by hearing more external noise in their environment.

[0052] When the user returns to their desk, sits down, and orients their head downward towards their desk, the earphones transition to a less transparent mode by increasing the level of attenuation applied to external noise. When the user can be working, they prefer an increased amount of noise cancellation or noise masking. In aspects, based on a user-specified preference, the earphones can output classical music at a particular volume in response to determining that the user is sitting and their head is oriented downward.

[0053] In another example use case, a user is walking and their head is oriented downward. The user can be looking at their personal user device. As a result, they can be less aware of their surroundings. The earphones can be configured to stop all noise cancellation and reduce the volume or stop the streaming of any audio. Allowing the user to be more aware of their surroundings can increase the safety of the user without requiring the user to remove the earphones or manually adjust settings on the earphones or personal user device. When it is determined that the user is walking with their head oriented upward, the earphones can increase the level of noise cancellation by an increment such that the earphones do not operate in a fully transparent mode or a maximum noise cancellation mode.

[0054] Activity-based transparency allows a user to have increased situational awareness based on the activity and head orientation of the user. Furthermore, activity-based transparency automatically adjusts the reproduction of external noise and / or audio output without requiring real-time manual input to adjust settings on an audio output device or user personal device. In addition to creating a more seamless user experience, activity-based transparency enhances the intent of the earphones to become "smart" (e.g., more intelligent due to computing power and connection to the internet).

[0055] Aspects describe controlling the applied attenuation level or audio output based on detected user activity and detected user head orientation; however, control of the attenuation level and / or control of the audio output can be based on any combination of head orientation, head motion, and user activity. It can be noted that processing related to automatic ANR, ANC, and CNC control as discussed in aspects of the disclosure can be performed natively in the earphone, by a personal user device, or a combination thereof.

[0056] The foregoing description of aspects of the disclosure have been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects of the disclosure to any precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings.

[0057] In the foregoing description, reference has been made to aspects presented in the disclosure. However, the scope of the disclosure is not limited to any of the disclosed aspects. The aspects of the disclosure can take form in entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or embodiments combining software and hardware aspects that can all generally be referred to herein as a "component," "circuit," "module," or "system." Furthermore, aspects of the disclosure can take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

[0058] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) can be utilized. The computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer readable storage medium can include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection having one or more wires, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the current context, a computer readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program.

[0059] The diagrams in the accompanying drawings are directed to possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various aspects. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams can represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing one or more specified logical functions. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks can occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession can in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks can sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Each block and combinations thereof can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Claims

1. A method performed by a head-mounted wearable audio output device, the head-mounted wearable audio output device including at least one sensor worn on a user's head for controlling the reproduction of external noise or audio output, the method comprising: Using the at least one sensor to detect user activity based on the user’s body movement, wherein detecting the user activity includes: detecting a change from a first detected activity in the activity set to a second detected activity in the activity set, wherein the activity set includes any combination of the following: walking, running, sitting, standing or moving in a transport mode; The at least one sensor is used to detect whether the user's head orientation is upward or downward; and Based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the user's head, control at least one of the following: the attenuation level applied to the external noise or the audio output.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one sensor includes an accelerometer, and The detection of user activity includes one of the following: The user activity is detected based on the energy level of the signal detected by the accelerometer, or The user activity is detected based on a classifier model trained using training data that is associated with known accelerometer signals for each activity in the activity set.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Detecting the change includes determining that the user changes from sitting to walking; and The control includes reducing the attenuation level so that the user can hear more of the external noise.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: Determine that the user changes from walking back to sitting; as well as Increase the attenuation level to attenuate the increased amount of external noise.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the increase in the attenuation level is based on input from the user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The user activity includes either walking or running. The orientation of the head includes the downward orientation, and The control includes reducing the attenuation level of the reproduction of the external noise or adjusting the audio output by reducing the volume of the audio output.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determine audio modes, wherein each audio mode in the set of audio modes invokes the set of behaviors of the wearable audio output device. The control described therein is further based on the determined audio pattern.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable audio output device is configured to perform active noise cancellation (ANR).

9. A head-mounted wearable audio output device for controlling the reproduction of external noise or audio output, comprising: At least one sensor, said at least one sensor being located on the wearable audio output device; and At least one processor, coupled to the at least one sensor, is configured to: When the wearable audio output device is worn on a user's head, the at least one sensor is used to detect user activity based on the movement of the user's body, wherein the at least one processor detects the user activity by detecting a change from a first detected activity in the activity set to a second detected activity in the activity set, wherein the activity set includes any combination of the following: walking, running, sitting, standing, or moving in a transportation mode. The at least one sensor is used to detect whether the orientation of the user's head is upward or downward; as well as Based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the user's head, control at least one of the following: the attenuation level applied to the external noise or the audio output.

10. The head-mounted wearable audio output device according to claim 9, wherein: Detecting the change includes determining that the user changes from sitting to walking; and The at least one processor controls the system by reducing the attenuation level so that the user can hear more of the external noise.

11. The head-mounted wearable audio output device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Determine that the user changes from walking back to sitting; and Increase the attenuation level to attenuate the increased amount of external noise.

12. The head-mounted wearable audio output device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor increases the attenuation level based on input from the user.

13. The head-mounted wearable audio output device according to claim 9, wherein: The user activity includes either walking or running. The orientation of the head includes the downward orientation, and The at least one processor controls the audio output by adjusting the attenuation level applied to the external noise or by reducing the volume of the audio output.

14. The head-mounted wearable audio output device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Determine audio modes, wherein each audio mode in the set of audio modes invokes the set of behaviors of the head-mounted wearable audio output device. The at least one processor performs control based on the determined audio pattern.

15. A head-mounted wearable audio output device worn by a user for controlling the reproduction of external noise or audio output, comprising: Accelerometer; At least one acoustic transducer, said at least one acoustic transducer being used to output audio; and At least one processor, said at least one processor being configured to: When the wearable audio output device is worn on the user's head, the accelerometer is used to detect user activity based on the user's body movement, wherein the at least one processor detects the user activity by detecting a change from a first detected activity in the activity set to a second detected activity in the activity set, wherein the activity set includes any combination of the following: walking, running, sitting, standing, or moving in a transportation mode. The accelerometer is used to detect whether the user's head is oriented upwards or downwards. as well as Based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the user's head, control at least one of the following: the attenuation level applied to the external noise or the audio output.

16. The head-mounted wearable audio output device according to claim 15, further comprising: A noise masking circuit, which generates masking sounds, The at least one processor is configured to adjust the audio output by adjusting either the content or volume of the noise mask based on detected user activity and the detected orientation of the user's head.

17. The head-mounted wearable audio output device according to claim 15, Detecting the change includes determining that the user changes from sitting to walking; and The at least one processor controls the system by reducing the attenuation level so that the user can hear more of the external noise.

18. The head-mounted wearable audio output device of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Determine audio modes, wherein each audio mode in the set of audio modes invokes the set of behaviors of the head-mounted wearable audio output device. The at least one processor performs control based on the determined audio pattern.

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